Bird of prey

Bird of Prey
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Population statistics

Bird of prey is the generic term for birds within the orders of Accipitriformes, Falconiformes, and Strigiformes, and characterized by the active hunting and killing of prey animals with their feet.

Description

Although not closely related, members of these three orders share similar characteristics which enable them to be successful hunters. Both have extremely powerful vision, enabling hawks to see rabbits with clarity at distances greater than a quarter of a mile. In addition to sight, owls are capable of detecting prey animals in total darkness by hearing alone. All species possess hooked bills made for tearing flesh, as well as talons capable of killing their prey as soon as a strike is made.

Families

Accipitriformes and Falconiformes are daylight (diurnal) hunters, consisting of five families and more than 200 species:

• Accipitridae

Eagles, hawks, harriers, kites, Old World vultures.

• Cathartidae

Condors, New World vultures.

• Pandionidae

Osprey.

• Sagittariidae

Secretary bird.

Falconiformes

• Falconidae

Falcons, caracaras.

Strigiformes are nocturnal, hunting mainly at night, and consist of two families and more than 120 species:

• Strigidae

Typical owls.

• Tytonidae

Barn and bay owls.

Previously, families of this order - including falcons - were placed within the order Falconiformes. Recent studies based on DNA analysis, however, have led ornithologists conclude that falcons are more closely related to parrots and passerine birds than they are to hawks and eagles, resulting in a split away from the Accipitriformes, and the transferring of the name Falconiformes exclusively to falcons and caracaras. Even then, Falconiformes is still used for the group as a whole; one study indicated the monophyly is still uncertain, and retains the original name - and falcons - within the order.

The family Cathartidae has sometimes been placed within the order Ciconiiformes, due to observations that these birds are related to storks, and indicated by the Sibley-Ahlquist (1990, 1993) classification based on DNA hybridization. This approach has never been unanimous among ornithologists, and further genetic studies would support that opinion. Rather than a family within either Accipitriformes or Ciconiiformes, a separate order, Cathartiformes, is sometimes used.